In order to revive the salt industries in the State, the Odisha Government is mulling a revival plan. While the other State Governments are setting up salt clusters to bail out the salt firms, taking up similar steps is being examined by the department of MSME.
MSME Principal Secretary Gagan Kumar Dhal held detailed discussion with the members of the Odisha Salt Manufacturers Association (OSMA) here on August 6, where status of the salt industries was discussed.
OSMA urged upon Dhal to chalk out a revival plan for the sinking salt industries to help out the investors and workers as well. OSMA president Sanjay Modi led the delegation for talks.
In fact, the salt industries in Odisha is in dire straits with low production, high production cost and adoption of age-old method of salt manufacturing for which crisis is deepening and labor force engaged in the industry is facing a bleak future.
Despite a 480 km-long coastline and Asia’s biggest salt lake Chilika in the State, salt production is witnessing continuous decline and Odisha continues to depend on more imports to meet internal demand.
While the annual demand now is 3 lakh Metric Tons, production is hardly 20,000-25, 000 MT, OSMA sources said. At present, three salt societies are engaged in salt production like Huma, Binchanapali and Surla in Ganjam and Balanga in Baleswar.
Due to climatic factor, the salt manufacturing season in Odisha is very short and production period is only for 3-4 months, where as in Gujarat it is nine to ten months and in Tamil Nadu, salt producing season continues for eight months.
OSMA pointed out that the salt industry in Odisha does not have access to sub-soil brine, which helps increase the production of salt, which is available in other States.
So the OSMA urged upon the State Government to identify and dig up of bore wells for getting sub soil brine.
Rampant unauthorized fishing activities are allowed in salt fields mainly in Sumandi and Surla belt, which erodes salinity in salt field. Besides, sand and clay gets embedded in the salt crystals thereby eroding the quality of salt, pointed the delegation members.
The main raw material for salt industry is brine and in case of Odisha, it is sea brine. However, sea mouth in Humma-Surla and Sumandi is blocked.
Unless the sea mouth is dredged properly, salt industry will not be able to get the raw material, said OSMA.
Setting up of salt cluster is the present trend and Odisha, being one of the leading salt producing States, should come up with such facilities, urged OSMA.
Most importantly, as salt is a priority item, the salt industry should be included in the priority sector with immediate effect, urged OSMA. While salt is produced in Odisha, consuming industries are just not buying it from the Odisha producers and prefer to import it from Gujarat, rued the members of OSMA.
Against the backdrop, the State Government needs to take up the matter with the salt consuming industries and ask them to go for Odisha salt instead of importing the same, the delegation opined.